Physical Readiness
by Should Be Elsewhere
Summary: Harry and Ruth both fail the Physical Readiness test and must spend time together while shaping up. Fluff, pre-5.5
1. Chapter 1

By the end of the long meeting, Harry was tired, uncomfortable and at the end of his patience with Juliet's rant at the assembled Section Heads. Admonitions, warnings and threats tended to lose their impact when administered so generously. His back hurt, he wanted to get his tie off, and that damned indigestion was back. He was going to have to reconsider the imprudent substitution of too much coffee and an administrative bollocking for an evening meal.

The assembled group stood up and gathered their paperwork as they prepared to depart. Harry would have been the first out the door except that Juliet's sharp voice skewered him, "Mr. Pearce, you will remain, please."

"Oh Bloody hell, what now, Juliet?" Harry heaved a sigh and returned to his seat while the others fled in what Harry considered to be a most unsupportive fashion. Once the room had emptied, Juliet pulled out yet another file from her glossy black leather shoulder bag and slapped it down on the meeting table.

"I have received the report from last week's physical exams for Section D." It appears that you failed the physical readiness segment of the exam, Harry, and your physical status results were borderline unacceptable, too. Your blood pressure is too high, your cholesterol levels are not good, and your weight has been creeping up on you. Your treadmill stress test results were in a range requiring remediation, I'm sorry to say."

"Well what do you expect, Juliet, when you keep me chained to the chair listening to you read the riot act on a regular basis and keep me so frequently occupied shoveling bureaucratic bullshit that I have no time left even for a decent evening meal, much less a vigorous postprandial walk?" he grumbled.

Her lips flickered, almost but not quite imperceptibly, with the suppressed pleasure of anticipation. "You will receive physical readiness training 5 evenings per week. A trainer has been assigned and you are to cooperate fully until your physical condition has been restored to within the acceptable range. You will be contacted by an administrative assistant with the particulars within the next few days."

"Bloody Fabulous! I've been looking for something to fill all those hours that I spend so frivolously each day. What will you choose to have slide, Juliet? Shall we be placing the state of my girth over the concerns of national security, now?"

"Harry, you have to admit that, even though you are not normally in the field, it is imperative that you and every operative, field or analyst, be in adequate physical condition to withstand the rigors of the job, whatever that might entail. You _could_, in fact, compromise national security were you to succumb to an ill-timed heart attack or stroke! So I won't hear any arguments. This is your priority. Just rearrange your schedule and get your portly ass, charming as it is, to your physical training and shape up!"

"Fine!" Harry snapped, already calculating what would have to be ignored to free up a couple of extra hours in each day. He could practically feel his blood pressure rise, and could definitely feel his heartburn escalating as he reached for the door handle to leave the room.

"Oh, and Harry?" Juliet purred in dulcet tones. "One other member of your staff will be joining you in physical remediation. You will be sharing your trainer and program with Ruth Evershed."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry, Ruth or anything related to Spooks.

Physical readiness CH 2

Two days later Ruth was deeply engrossed at her desk. She had come in early to try to finish translating and analyzing some audio before the morning meeting. Usually she had an inexplicable awareness of Harry's proximity, but this morning she didn't notice him until he gently lifted one earpiece of her headset and breathed "Ruth, a word? My office, now!" Startled, she paused the playback, pulled off the headset and stood up, feeling slightly disoriented at the sudden shift of focus. Harry announced broadly across the Grid, "Daily Status. Meeting room. 10 minutes." She looked at Harry in confusion, wondering if she had misheard. He looked at her impatiently and said "Ruth, has the word _now _suddenly lost its meaning?"

Collecting the files and notes she had already prepared for the meeting, she followed Harry into his office, wondering what was causing his brusque tone first thing in the morning. "Sit," he said, indicating the chair next to his desk. He handed her a file with a label reading

_Ruth Evershed: Physical Examination results_

"I'm afraid that your strength and stamina are not up to standard. Your chin-up and push-up counts were sub-par and your running speed and endurance were also below the acceptable thresholds. You have been assigned a physical trainer for remediation. Juliet has directly ordered that we give this top priority. Apparently our physical status is vital to national security," Harry said with a derisive curl to his lip.

"_**Our**_ physical status?" asked Ruth. "Yes," sighed Harry. "I am too fat and decrepit to do my job, according to the sodding new physical standards, so I have to get shaped up, too. At least none of the others is on death's door – just you and I. We shall spend 2 hours each evening at the fitness center with the trainer, 5 nights a week until we can pass a retest."

"But Harry..." Ruth looked at him, confused. "You're neither fat nor decrepit! You're … just right! … er …. I think, anyway," Ruth said, fair skin coloring. "I mean, I know_ I_ couldn't keep up with the others on the track, and I _have_ gotten alarmingly wimpy in the pushup department, but you…. And just how are we expected to find an extra 2 hours each evening to spend at the fitness center?" Ruth asked.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but this is top priority, straight from the Witch's maw." Harry muttered. "I think we'd best consider our schedules -- Would 7-9 each night work for you?" Harry asked, flipping through his diary, relieved to see no major conflicts for the upcoming week. Ruth went to her desk to consult her own diary and returned to agree that 7-9 would be OK for her, too.

"But, Harry, that means we'd have to leave the Grid by 6:30! How will we keep up on our work?" she protested. Harry assured her, "I'll just have to deal with Juliet when she comes to recognize the ramifications of setting us on a fitness regimen. I'll finalize the arrangements with the trainer and let you know when we start. One more thing, Ruth. I consider the particulars of this situation to be _Need to Know. _We'll have to let the others know that we'll be unavailable during that time, of course, but I'd prefer that my waistline and blood pressure not provide material for Zaf's book." Now we'd better get to the meeting room for the briefing," Harry said, standing up and following Ruth toward the door.

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I still own no part of Spooks.

Physical Readiness Ch 3

Harry sat at the head of the table in the meeting room, and Ruth took a seat to his right. They were joined by Jo and Zaf, then Adam, Malcolm, and Ros, who seated themselves around the table. Four pairs of eyes switched back and forth between Harry and Ruth, seeking clues as to what might have necessitated their private pre-meeting. Ros doodled.

"Updates. Ruth." Harry requested, starting the briefing. Once Ruth had presented her blessedly non-alarming report, the others spoke one by one. There was nothing earth-shattering, nor even particularly gripping about any of their reports, so Ruth found herself unable to keep focused on their words.

"I can't believe I've gotten so out of shape!" she thought. "Actually not at all surprising considering my current schedule. I thought my lungs were going to burst on that run and it _still _wasn't fast enough? And those wretched pushups – never been good at them. But at least I thought my situps would have been OK. I don't have time for this. Oh, and I'll have to find my workout clothing. Maybe it's in the box under my bed….

"And so I don't think there's any need for concern there," Adam finished, before Malcolm began something about a new backup system.

"Wait a minute!" Ruth's private thoughts continued. "Five nights a week. 2 hours. With Harry. This might not be all bad…. Except _oh crap!_" Ruth gasped. "I'll be all sweaty. I'll get all red-faced. I'll probably grunt, too. Oh my God! This could be terrible!" Only when the droning background voice that had been washing over her suddenly became silent did Ruth realize that all eyes were on her, quizzically.

"Ruth, what are you talking about?" asked a confused but grinning Jo. "What's terrible? What would get you all sweaty and red faced and grunting?" Jo was asking, while Ruth's voice froze in her throat. Ruth may have been speechless, but she was certainly able to observe the knowing grins on the faces at the table, even as she realized that a. she must have said that _out loud!_ _Bloody Hell!_ and b. that they all thought she was talking about something much racier than calisthenics. Ruth imprudently retorted with the first thing that came into her head "I'm just looking forward to the joys of menopause, that's all. Carry on please. Errr…sorry to interrupt."

"Bugger bugger BUGGER_!"_ Ruth thought, squirming in humiliation. What is _wrong_ with me? OK. I must stay focused on every word of this meeting."

"Well, on that curious insight into Ruth's psyche, I suggest we adjourn," said Harry. "But before we do, I need to inform you all that the Witch has, in her wisdom, given me a Top Priority Assignment which will necessitate my being off the grid from 7-9 each evening, indefinitely." Meeting Ruth's eyes he amended "No, make that 6:30, actually. Ruth will be with me. So we are both unavailable during those hours until further notice. Adam, you will cover."

Four voices simultaneously blurted out some form of "What is the assignment? What are you doing? Where will you be?" and, "You and Ruth?" Ros tried to look disinterested. Ruth tried to look as cool and professional as possible under the circumstances, and Harry tried to look discouraging as he announced "This is a Need to Know situation, and none of you needs to know. I'll keep you apprised as the situation warrants. Now carry on."


	4. Chapter 4

_I still don't own Harry, Ruth, nor any others._

**HR Physical Readiness Ch 4**

**  
Email message** **From**: Jo **To**: Adam, Zaf, Malcolm, Ros

OMG! Can you believe that?! There's no WAY that's all work and no play. We need a summit to get to the bottom of this Harry/Ruth "operation".

6:00 the George. Who's in?

**  
Email message From: **Zaf**To**: Jo, Adam, Malcolm, Ros

I know, huh? Something's up, no doubt. Is it tracker-time, perchance? Besides, I'm always up for the George!

**  
Email message From: **Adam**To**: Jo, Zaf, Malcolm, Ros

Wes is at a friend's tonight, so I'm in.

**  
Email message From: **Malcolm**To**: Adam, Zaf, Jo, Ros

You all need supervision. I'll be there.

**  
Email message From:** Ros**To**: Adam, Zaf, Jo, Malcolm

You people need to get a life. But since I don't have one either, I might as well come.

* * *

At 6:30 pm a couple of nights later, Harry unlocked his safe and pulled a soft bulky bag from it, turned off the lights in his office and headed for the pods. Ruth appeared at his side, and they wordlessly exited together. "I left my bag in a locker this morning," said Ruth as they made their way down the corridor. "If I had left it under my desk everyone would have known by 9:06 am where we were headed right now. They may know anyway. I smell a lot of curiosity on the Grid about this."

Harry met Ruth's eyes and paused in his brisk stride, looking speculative. Ruth inhaled and blinked rapidly as he stepped very close to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, then smoothed his hands toward her neck. He gently turned her around, and she felt goosebumps as his breath stirred the wisps of her hair around her ears. He lifted the collar of her woolen coat, and breathed "Those pesky little buggers!" as he plucked a miniscule tracker, on a tiny length of wire, from her nape. With it pinched carefully between his fingers, he reached over her shoulder to show it to her. He stepped around her, took her hand and laid the tracker in her open palm. He pointed toward the Ladies' loo near the front entrance. "Go in there, and poke the wire into the top of a stall door, if you can find a tiny space for it. That way it will still show occasional movement. I'll wait here."

When she returned, grinning triumphantly, Harry was examining his own coat and found an identical tracker tucked under his collar. "These jackasses are sorely in need of training—they aren't showing much originality here" he grumbled but with a grin matching Ruth's. "Let's go along here a bit before stashing mine."

Before long they came upon the mail clerk, with his cart of letters and parcels to be delivered to each office. Harry nudged Ruth and said softly "There. Perfect!" He slowed their pace until the clerk stepped into an open doorway and turned to place the mail on the desks. Just at that moment, Harry tucked the tiny tracker under the edge of the soft rubbery grip on the cart's handle. "That should keep them busy for a bit." He said with a satisfied smile, which he shared with Ruth, as they imagined their team members tracking "Harry" to every office in Thames House.

They worked their way down stairwells and through the increasingly deserted maze of corridors until they reached an abrupt right turn through a set of fire doors, then entered the tunnel toward the Annexe housing the fitness center. Several turns and sets of fire doors later, they paused. "Meet you on the other side" muttered Harry as each entered the appropriate locker room.

Ruth opened the locker wherein she had stashed her gear early that morning. She pulled out her workout clothes which, while barely worn, were quite outdated in style. She struggled into the shiny, very stretchy spandex pants and breathed a sigh of relief that they were merely snug and not as girdle-like as she had feared. "These aren't actually all that bad" she encouraged herself as she turned this way and that in front of the full length mirror. "Especially with this!" and pulled an extra large tunic-style t-shirt on over her sports bra and settled it artfully around her hips. Hand on hips, she did a few deep squats and said "OK, I'm ready!"

Harry, in the Men's Locker room, wasn't so happy with his presentation. His elderly sweatpants hugged his waist, backside and, frankly… everything! a bit too snugly, he thought, and the fabric seemed a tad thin in the vital areas! "Why didn't I test these out, dammit?" he grumbled. "At least I can cover up with this." he consoled himself as he donned a large, loose t-shirt. It covered his midsection nicely. Harry flexed his muscles in front of the full length mirror and said "Not too bad for a decrepit old spook, eh?" before heading out the door to the fitness center to meet Ruth and the trainer.


	5. Chapter 5

Physical Readiness Ch5

Two hours later, Harry and Ruth were back in the locker rooms, showering and changing back into their work clothes. It hadn't been as bad as either had feared. When they arrived, they had been weighed and measured before being given a stress test on a treadmill as part of what the trainer, a pleasant young woman named Daphne, had called their baseline physical assessment. That had been a bit brutal, as they had really pushed themselves, but they had survived. It was essentially a fast walk/trot/run to exhaustion on the treadmill while responding to questions about how each felt, as if the blood pressure cuff on the arm, the pulse oximeter on the fingertip and EKG leads stuck to the chest weren't giving enough info. But it was reassuring to know that these people were interested in their emotional responses, too, Ruth thought.

Despite Harry's obligatory grumbling, both Harry and Ruth had secretly enjoyed the gentle stretching they had done next. Daphne had led them through a series of individual stretches which felt pleasantly relaxing after the treadmill ordeal, then set them up to do several partner stretches. Each had had a chance to surreptitiously investigate the outfit of the other, and had found them quite intriguing. They had had to join hands and touch each other's arms and legs in a way that they would never have done on the Grid, and probably not off the Grid, either, in fact. Daphne made the contact officially impersonal, and yet to the participants, it was all delightfully personal. It was fortunate that Daphne hadn't imparted any exclusive, one-time wisdoms during the stretching, Harry thought, because all he could focus on was his hands, Ruth's hands, how and what they felt.

They had completed the appointment with "classroom" time, in which Daphne had reviewed the food pyramid, caloric requirements, some sample menus and other food intake guidelines. She had also given them a printout of their training plan for the upcoming 8 weeks. "We will be doing the testing again in 8 weeks, and I'm hoping to have you both on the right track by then. I must warn you, though, that the changes we will be making will need to be lifelong changes for lasting health. After 8 weeks, you should be able to manage your own programs without the need for my supervision. I will be available any time, though, if you need advice, help, or even just a pep talk. But that's it for tonight. Good work, you two!" she finished with a friendly smile. " I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by your willing cooperation tonight. So often in these cases I meet all kinds of resistance, but I can see that you Section D folks take things seriously!"

Yes, well, errr, we do want to be in shape for… for all kinds of activities. Errr…" Harry stated shortly before turning beet red.

"See you tomorrow, Daphne." Ruth said and fled into the Ladies' locker room.


	6. Chapter 6

Physical Readiness Ch 6

Harry loitered outside the Ladies' until Ruth emerged. "The problem with all that exercise is that now I'm ravenous", he stated as he pushed away from the wall and matched her strides. "Will you be returning to the grid or heading home?" he asked. "Because I was thinking that we should probably review our programs away from the grid. I think the nation would be safe tonight if I don't go back; what about you?"

"Well…" Ruth pondered, "I was working on something that, under normal circumstances I'd have liked to finish, but I'm thinking that a good meal and a hot bath would probably be a good idea for tonight."

Their steps hesitated as they approached the corridor committing them to a return to the Grid.  
Ruth suggested "Have you ever noticed that little place about halfway between here and my home…I think it's called Nature's Bounty? We could try that; I believe that they have the types of things on our menu plans, yet it always smells good…?"

"I'd really prefer a prime rib and potato, but under duress I'd be willing to at least _try_ this place" Harry muttered. "I suppose we shall walk, too?"

"Well it _is _a lovely evening" Ruth pointed out as they stepped outdoors and joined the steady flow of pedestrian traffic. They walked along for several blocks, enjoying a relaxed conversation extolling the beauties of the Lakes District and childhood experiences there. After repeatedly being forced to slow, separate, and occasionally to walk very closely together to avoid collisions with oncoming foot traffic, Harry grunted in feigned exasperation before catching Ruth's hand in his. He pulled her snugly to his side, tucked her arm under his and allowed her hand to slide partway down his forearm, where he held it covered with his other hand and gave it a comforting pat as they continued walking. Ruth looked at the sidewalk, darted a quick look at Harry's gently smiling profile and smiled, too.

_**We could stop here or I could write more. What do you think? Please review.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thanks for the reviews – I really appreciate hearing from you! Since several readers wanted this to continue, here's at least one more chapter – a longer one. **

**Physical Readiness Ch 7**

Harry and Ruth barely noticed their tired muscles and strained joints as they approached Nature's Bounty Café fifteen minutes later. It appeared to Harry to be a highly popular destination, with the average patron significantly younger and fitter than he. "Probably eat yogurt and granola and go on cycle tours, too" he thought, until the gentle squeeze of her hand on his arm reminded him that _he_ was the one with Ruth.

The freestanding building housing the restaurant had a widened area of sidewalk in front that had been made to look like an enticing courtyard. Underfoot lay brick in gently swirling patterns; the outdoor seating consisted of a dozen small, round tables. The tables were separated by large planters which held trees with profuse, low-hanging foliage, creating umbrellas of leafy green seclusion for the diners. The door was flanked by more planters; this was like entering a natural oasis on a city street.

Harry and Ruth approached the open French doors uncertainly, but were immediately welcomed by a friendly and relaxed young person, gender indeterminate due to spiky blue hair, multiple piercings about the head and face, and odd, loose clothing which obscured the body beneath. "Your first time here?" asked the youth. "Yes," smiled Ruth, "and I love it already!" as her delighted eyes took in the high ceiling, forest of greenery, many private tables in various sizes and quirky décor.

"Welcome! You'll just want to go through that archway – you'll see a counter where you place your order. Then sit wherever you like! Enjoy. I'll be around if you need anything," said the youth.

"How can I have missed this place all this time?!" Ruth enthused. "I _so _hope the food is good!

"Well, it does smell good in here," Harry allowed, "although the maitre d' was a bit unexpected. I like the ambiance, though..."

"Hmmm, several interesting options, in fact," Harry mused, looking at the large board behind the counter. I might try that grilled steak on mixed grains with vegetables – it's not prime rib and potato, but…."

"I can't decide between the sesame salmon in a bok choy boat or the ahi tuna over greens…" Ruth pondered. "Which one do you think is bigger?"

After choosing drinks from the surprisingly tempting array of healthful- sounding concoctions, they took the tall, frosty glasses from a very pleasant but spectacularly strange- looking cashier (this time a cascade of orange and green hair from a central stalk apparently sprouting from an otherwise cleanly shaven head) and went in search of the perfect table. Although both would have enjoyed sitting outside, they agreed that discretion would be better served at a table hidden in a back corner.

"I saw you pick up the nutritional information card at the counter. Shall we review our paperwork?" Harry asked, but pointed out that it was a bit late for that, as they had already ordered meals without any consultation at all to Daphne's plan. "Oh, never mind for now," Ruth agreed. "Let's just relax and enjoy this place. I could look around here for hours. It's very soothing, isn't it? And I'm too hungry to concentrate, anyway."

Harry enjoyed the opportunity to really look at Ruth while she was completely enthralled with her surroundings. He would happily eat cold boiled haggis every night, he thought, if it meant he could spend the evening with Ruth like this.

"I like your workout pants" he said, out of the blue.

She turned her attention from the wall carvings above and behind her to look at him, startled. "What?! My workout pants? Errr… I don't know quite how to respond to that," she said.

"They're nice and bright and shiny," he teased. Relieved, she replied "Thank you! They're almost new – only 2 decades old!"

"Yours, however, seem to have gotten much more use than mine, I would guess" she said before pausing. "Were you wearing lavender underpants?" she amazed herself asking, "because…errr… there was a little threadbare patch, and I tried not to look, but…I couldn't help seeing lavender. You don't strike one as the lavender-undies type, really, do you?"

"I certainly hope not!" sputtered Harry, laughing. "My daughter, Catherine, gave me a purple jumper for Christmas last year, which I imprudently laundered with some undershorts. Hence the lavender. I have, in fact, a good dozen more just like those! And socks and t-shirts, too!"

"I see," teased Ruth with eyebrows raised as high as possible just as the food arrived on a huge round metal tray that might have been an oriental gong in a former life.

Their plates were piled high with very generous amounts of food. "It may be healthful but I'm relieved to see that it's also plentiful!" Harry said.

There was very little talking for a few minutes, as they concentrated on eating the delicious food they had ordered. "Mmmm, mine is really good," Ruth said, "Is yours?"

"Who would have guessed that an enormous pile of rabbit food with a few strips of steak could be so incredibly enjoyable?" Harry agreed. "Good job you spotted this place," and paused eating.  
"Thank you for inviting me here, Ruth. I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but contrary to all expectation I have really enjoyed this whole evening." Harry said softly with a gentle look on his face.

"Me too. You have bulgar wheat on your chin," Ruth barely managed to enunciate around her mouthful of salmon with a small sprig of leafy greens protruding from one corner of her smiling lips. She reached over and gently brushed the grain off of his face, her fingers lingering just a moment longer than necessary. "Errr…sorry… there, it's gone" she said, suddenly feeling self conscious.

As their hunger began to abate, the pace of eating slowed. Ruth reached into her handbag and pulled out the paperwork that Daphne had given them. She scooted her chair closer to Harry's so that they could share the same page, then adjusted her plate and glass so that she could continue to eat but leaving space for the papers between. "OK, let's see. Here's the nutritional information for Nature's Bounty's menu, and here," pointing to Daphne's paperwork "is where our intake should be…. Look at that! Your dinner was spot on for what she recommends. Mine was about right, too. And we're not even suffering!"

"There certainly seem to be dozens of tempting options here – shall we come again and try something different next time?" Harry asked.

"You know, I think we probably should." said Ruth, sharing a happy smile with Harry, both enjoying the notion that this could become a regular event.

"But for now, let's think about lunch tomorrow. Your usual corned beef sandwich and crisps do NOT appear to be listed on Daphne's list of healthful suggestions! Why don't I see if I can find a vetted sandwich shop with something a bit more healthful – there are several that already deliver to Thames House. One of them _must_ have some better options…."

"Well, alright, but I may need supervision to guard against cheating. I have a long history of being totally incorrigible!" Harry agreed with a boyish grin.

"I can assure you that I will be monitoring your every move." Ruth flirted, to Harry's delight, then disappointment: "Speaking of movement. Much as I hate to go, I think we should probably head home – I'm feeling a bit stiff and sore after sitting here, and I may try to get in early tomorrow to catch up…."

"I'm afraid that you're probably right. Perhaps we've done enough walking for today, though. Let's have a cup of coffee while we wait for my driver, and I'll drop you home?" Harry suggested, pulling out his mobile, waiting for Ruth's nod.

"I'll get the coffee while you call." Ruth said, rising with a small groan from the table as he dialed. "I feel like an ancient crone…" she mumbled under her breath as she turned toward the counter.

Ruth almost didn't hear his "My kind of crone!" but looked back just in time to catch his eyes running admiringly up her body and blushed happily.

They sat silently in the back of the car, feeling awkward recalling the things they had said and done this evening. Neither was sure what had allowed them to feel more relaxed in each other's company, but the wonderful ease seemed to be wearing off.

When they arrived at Ruth's home, Ruth jumped out of the car and briskly said "Thanks for the ride, Harry, see you tomorrow!"

"Wait," Harry instructed his driver as he got out and caught up to Ruth as she approached her door. "At least let me see you safely to your door..." He leaned in toward her as she unlocked her door and growled softly near her ear "I shall have to make a concerted effort to overcome the fact that I wear lavender undies, won't I? G'night, Ruth."


End file.
